What do I need to get started?
Finding an Arduino
Arduinos are sold everywhere! I've listed a number of well-known stockists below, and ones that I've used in the past. Of course, as with all online retailers, you need to make sure that you're comfortable that the store is reputable - the fact that these are listed here is meant to guide you, and not an endorsement. I've tried to select retailers that support open source projects:
- The Official Arduino Website
- Sparkfun Electronics sell official boards and clones, and have great resources online
- Adafruit Industries for official, clone and interesting in-house boards
- Micro Robotics for any other South Africans reading this
Of course all the big online retails - Farnell, Element14, Digikey, Mouser, RS Electronics, etc. all have them for sale.
Getting the Arduino up and running
Getting an Arduino up-and-running isn't as simple as plug-and-play, but it's pretty straightforward.
Firstly, you need your Arduino board. I recommend an Arduino UNO – the UNO R3 is the latest release of this board and is perfect for getting started. It is well-priced, but also gives you a good range of expansion options to allow you to turn out some complex projects. It's a convenient size to work with, and has all the connections you'll initially need without having to buy any additional plug-in boards.
Secondly, you need a USB cable. This allows you to connect your Arduino to your PC. A good retailer will either include the cable with the board, or give you a link to the correct cable to use. You need a USB A to B cable.
Thirdly, you'll need a computer running Linux, MacOSX or Windows. We'll be programming the projects from the computer.
Finally, you need an internet connection to download the Arduino drivers, as well as the Arduino software. The drivers are what allow your computer to "see" that your Arduino is connected and to then communicate with it. The software is an application that allows you to develop your sketches (a sketch is an Arduino programme), and upload them to the Arduino. I'll touch on the software, called the Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE), in more detail shortly.
I'd suggest that you get the software and drivers installed now, by going to the Arduino web page. They have installation instructions which are quite straightforward for Windows, Mac OS X and Lnux.
